Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Coping with an unchallenging job?

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Ugh, I'm in a similar spot with a very unchallenging, unfulfilling job. My dh has suggested that I do exactly what you've done: remove my Masters degree from my resume at a minimum and maybe not list that I got my BA at Berkeley.

I've generally found that it is not to my benefit to speak to the interviewers using more than low-average vocabulary or sentence structure either. I do generally modify my speech depending on who I am speaking with b/c I think it is rude and arrogant to talk over someone's head but I've not modified my speech patterns when interviewing with people who seem to be quite intelligent themselves. That resulted in one interviewer suggesting that I go back for a PhD and another stating in the interview that she feared I'd be unchallenged in the position. I didn't get either of those jobs.

Have you already accepted a position? If so, I guess that continuing to be the person you were in the interview is your best bet in terms of fitting into the office environment. I'd also find ways to keep yourself mentally alive outside of work. I've tried by doing some stuff on the side with gifted kids, volunteering at the humane society, writing occassional articles, and getting together with a group of people from my local Mensa group with whom I've clicked periodically.

I had one of those jobs for two+ years (just ended recently). It was awful, but it paid well. I did learn some stuff, so that was good. But I was overqualified and generally unhappy with the work.

Sometimes you have to suck it up in silence and just struggle through. I'm not saying this to disparage your position: this is what I told myself every day for those two+ years. I liked almost everyone I worked with a lot, and that helped. It's just that the work was dull and I often wanted to quit. But I couldn't. I saved money and as a result am now not in the same situation I was in when I started, so that's good too.

Now I've lost my job and I'm looking for something else.

My best advice is to keep your head down at work and just do what the employer wants. The longer you follow this path, the more likely you'll be to get a raise or promotion.

It sucks. I know. But you have to do the best you can, and if you need the money to pay the bills, you may as well accept that you have to take something you don't like now, in the hopes that you'll find something better later.

Some ideas:

* Is a local governmental representative hiring (state or federal senator, member of the house, etc.)? These jobs pay okay-ish and the work can be extremely rewarding. I did social security casework after I graduated (helped constituents who got lost in the system on behalf of the member of Congress) and received grateful phone calls from people I'd helped all the time (weekly). I also learned a lot about the government. This has a way of letting you see that the work you do is worthwhile and meaningful.

* What about other non-profits? Even entry-level stuff can be meaningful, and promotions are always possible.

Send me a PM with a bit of info on your background if you like, and maybe I can come up with some more ideas.

There are certain companies that pride themselves on 'finding diamonds in the rough' - H & R Block definitely, and Starbucks maybe. One idea is to find a company that prides itself on 'developing talent' and let yourself 'be discovered.'

Meanwhile, showing up on time counts for a tremendous amount. Doing what you are asked is a big plus. For some young adults (GT or otherwise) doing self-care, such as having a reasonable bedtime, decent nutrition, regular exercise and keeping the substances minimal is a gigantic challenge, but one that releases a lot of energy for 'keep on keeping on,' which is needed when the job itself doesn't have much inherent interest. It's easy to be in a bad mood when one is tired, hung over, underactive or undernourished - so don't 'add insult to injury.'

If it helps to see yourself on a quest to find the 'key' to your future greatness buried among the daily life of your current job - then do that. One never knows, yes?

I don't know if you've been able to develop social skills to be likable to ND folks, but if not, that's a great 'second agenda' to add to your daily job.

I tell DS that there are 4 reasons we work:
1) to get money
2) to help others
3) to use our special gifts
4) to grow inside

Not all jobs allow all 4 reasons to be satisfied, but if you keep those goals in mind you may come up with surprising solutions.

My favorite 'get organized' book is "Getting it all Done" by David Allen
If you haven't already read 'What color is your parachute?' and 'Wishcraft' they are classics that may be useful.

Good luck and keep us updated.
Grinity

I got my first job out of college through a temp agency, doing menial office tasks. (At the time, my partner and I were living in the un-air-conditioned attic, accessible only by ladder, of my parents' house. I was highly, highly motivated to get a job - but I had no practical work skills or experience and no clue what I wanted to do with myself.)

I started out with 8 hours a day of shredding, spent my free time teaching myself Excel from the manual (ah, the days when software came with a manual...) and volunteering to help anyone with anything, and eventually ended up in a fairly decent full-time job.

Anyhow, by going through the temp agency, the employer got to know me as a worker long before they knew my background. And they paid the temp agency a set amount for a body, so they didn't have to worry about whether I'd want more than they wanted to pay.

I assume you have finished your BA/BS? If so, have you considered teaching? In my school we have a horrible time finding qualified substitute teachers who actually show up, dress appropriately and aren't completely useless. The pay is only about $120 a day but it's on your schedule. It would pay bills and may give you time to figure out what to do next.

I also started my career post-BA at a temp agency. I got paid to read and answer the phones for a month while the office was all on vacation. It was a complete bore but it got my foot in the door of a law office. Things spiraled from there and I ended up in politics. I'm a dabbler to a certain extent- I did politics, got my teaching credential and taught a few years, opened a business then sold it, was a stay-at-home mom, then a substitute teacher, now in school administration but soon to be a homeschooling mom.

Talk to everyone you know, make good connections and keep your word. Every job I've ever gotten was from a relationship I had with someone else.

I'll bite. If you're having trouble finding teachers who show up and aren't completely useless, is it really appropriate to be worrying about how they dress? Why? Are they turning up wearing nothing at all? If not, this would seem to be something to care about only once you had a choice of really excellent, reliable teachers! [ETA to put it more personally, if I found out that my DS's school, knowing that there was a good chance that the next supply teacher might not turn up or might be completely useless, was nevertheless declining to use again one who had turned up and been OK because they didn't like her dress sense, I'd hit the roof.]

To keep a boring job, you have to have an outside goal, that simple. Taking care of your kids. Going to school. Saving money. Getting food into the fridge. Medical insurance.
These are mostly pretty basic.

Have you had difficulty keeping your opinions to yourself and found them unwelcome? Is it possible your manner and speech are off-putting to your co-workers? What issues while at work have you had? Did they result in you loosing your job?
If so, sorry to hear that, perhaps with some more details folks here can give you more solid strategies for coping.

I have had some pretty crappy jobs, but usually socially I have been ok, so at least have found solace in joking around with my co-workers. Other jobs like in a call-center have only offered the challenge of completing more calls/data entry than anyone in the office, that sort of fairly mind-numbing stuff, but still at the end of the day you do punch out, collect pay, possibly even accrue benefits.
Daydreaming is usually a pretty good way to while away the hours of doing more physical labor, iirc, some scholars recommend physical labor for giving them time to deal with big questions.

Think Einstein. I am expecting big things from you while at your next entirely boring job!!!

Good luck.

ps, this question is pretty interesting to me as I am currently considering taking a position that would offer a much better commute and some other benefits, but more than likely not so technically challenging as my last few.

I would recommend doing the work without complaint, same as the other workers, and doing the best job you can. Plenty of non-gifted people go to jobs that they also find dull, but persevere. Work is an exchange of services for money; enjoyment is unfortunately not a necessary part of the equation, for anyone who has to work to live.

Since you need the money so badly, I'm hoping that common sense and your will to survive will win out in the end over any dissatisfaction with the sorts of jobs you can get right now. Try to focus on the good, instead of the bad, and remember that you won't have your next job for the rest of your life. And don't get stuck in a rut: once you get your next job, boring or not, continue scheming about how to improve your life, by taking the next step to a better job, schooling, or something else. Good luck.